Mazda not ready to launch SkyActiv-X engine in the US

The timing isn't right, according to one of the company's execs.

Mazda designed the innovative SkyActiv-X engine with global markets in mind, but one of its top officials has confirmed it's not bringing the technology to the United States in the immediate future.

Speaking during a conference held in Detroit, Michigan, Masahiro Moro, the CEO of Mazda's North American division, said the SkyActiv-X engine isn't in the firm's immediate product plans. It's not an emissions issue; the engine fully complies with the regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, Mazda doesn't believe our market is ready for it.

"SkyActiv-X is on our road map going forward. We have a lot of technology. And we are introducing each technology in each region when the time is right," Moro said, according to Automotive News. The company's approach to releasing its SkyActiv-X engine in the United States reminds us of how it released the SkyActiv-D turbodiesel. It was announced, delayed, and finally launched under the hood of the CX-5 at the 2019 New York auto show.

Moro didn't reveal when the SkyActiv-X engine will power the first American-spec car. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder -- which uses both compression and spark ignition -- will be available elsewhere in the world before the end of 2019. It makes 178 horsepower in the European-spec Mazda3.